Running Away, Running for Home
by something like human
Summary: 1st fic in Lost Boys and Golden Girls arc. Sequel arc to Storms. AU Chang doesn't feel right about what is going on in Mariemaia's army & decides to do what he feels is right.


Title: Running away, Running for home

Arc: Lost Boys and Golden Girls

Rating: R (just to be on the safe side)

Author: Something Like Human

Notes: This is, I guess you could call it, a continuation of the Storm arc.  There may be one more fic in the Storm Arc but this plot bunny has taken hold and won't let go.  I have always been fascinated with the relationship (not that you sickos) between Wufei and Mariemaia.  There had to be some bond there for him to face off against his former comrades for her honor.  Also, I think you may be able to read this fic and the ones that will come after it without necessarily reading Storms.  It might help in seeing how Wufei thinks in this since he is slightly OOC to the series. 

Timeline: This arc takes place after the first war and (obviously) shortly before the Eve's War. Round-abouts the fall of AC196.

Warnings: AU (I really mess with the story from here on out), still Hinting at shounen ai, drama, adult themes, minimal swearing.

Disclaimers: I don't own GW nor do I own the song "Lost Boys and Golden Girls" by Meatloaf.  

I held the small child closer to my chest.  She was exhausted, as I was.  Our journey had not been an easy one and it was not over yet. I pulled my jacket tighter around her to keep her warm.  The cargo holds of inter-colonial transports were only kept above freezing during flight. People were not supposed be in this part of the ship; we were not supposed to be on this ship at all. 

We were running away.  I from an army and the child from the only home she ever knew.  If you wanted to get technical, I had kidnapped her from her grandfather. I just could not let her be used as a tool for other people's suffering. The poor child has gone through enough already in her young life.  She reminded me of my fellow pilots in that respect. They had all suffered so much in their short lives. I only knew bits and pieces of their pasts but they all deserved peace, not the war that loomed over us because of the child.  

I smoothed her short hair down. She had entranced me the first moment I saw her. She was so bright in my dark world. She was so young and seemingly full of life. Dekim had brought her with him when he asked me to join her army… no it was really his army. I understand that now.  She was as much of a pawn as I was. 

After I was in the young army, I started to really get to know the little Lady.  She was precocious, inquisitive, neglected, and alone.  Dekim saw to it that she was educated, fed, and clothed. She was taken care of like royalty except that it was more like she was a doll than a child.  They dressed her up, told her what to say, and ignored her when she was not needed as the figurehead for the 'revolution', and punished her harshly for not obeying.  

I could not let that go on not after she had snuck up on me in my room a few weeks into my arrival.  I guess she had been as fascinated by me as I was by her.  I tried to send her away but found that I could not.  I actually found her presence comforting.  At first, she was just curious about me.  She would always ask questions even when I refused to answer.  But somehow, she could always get me to talk.  Eventually, she would sneak over and I would read to her.  She could read herself but enjoyed sitting on my lap as I read to her.  It was during those brief times that I actually got to see her smile.  

I could feel the ship shift abruptly.  My fellow stowaway groggily looked up at me as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.  I hugged her tightly to reassure her.  She clung to me with a naïve trust that I doubt that I had ever possessed. 

"Mariemaia," I whispered.  "We've still got a while before we dock, you should go back to sleep."

"I'm okay," she whispered back.  She was silent for a few moments before lifting those bright eyes up at me. "You're like my knight in shining armor from that book you read me."

"No, I'm just doing what is right," I argue.  "You were not safe there and I could not let you be used as an instrument of war."

"So you're whisking me away to your castle…" She continued developing her fairy tale.

"I doubt it will be a castle where we're going," and silently added that I was not even sure we would be welcome there if we found the place.  I had gotten the address from a contact I had from when I was in the war.  It was the only thing I could chance. I did not want to be found before I could get the child to safety.  If I could find some place to hide her that Dekim could not discover, then I had done my job.  If they found me afterwards, I was dispensable.  What good is a homeless, teenaged terrorist?  

"I don't want to live in a castle," she replied as if I should already understand that. "Castles are cold and lonely. I want to live in a home."

How easily I forget that she had literally been a prisoner in the elaborate compound that was Dekim's base.  To a child, it would be very much like a castle with its fences, gun towers, and huge buildings.  "I can't guarantee a home but I will try with my all to keep you safe."

"See, you're my knight in…" The child yawned softly.  "Shining arm…"

She was quickly drifting off to sleep again. It had really been a rough trip.  We originally fled X-18999 in the L-3 cluster and hopped around L-3 until we could secure enough information to get a destination to run to.  I also needed a little time to regain enough strength after our breakout.  I had been grazed on my left shoulder by a bullet from one of the guards but it was healing nicely. The dog bite from the guard dog was what was giving me problems still. Its teeth punctured my right thigh and it was still making it difficult to run fast.  Most of the time now, I could hide the limp if I was walking slowly enough.  Mariemaia doted over my injuries constantly so I was thankful that I had mostly hid the limp from her. I did not need her to worry any more than she already did. 

She also did not need to worry about where we were finding our food next.  It was a day long flight and I had only scrounged up enough food before the trip for her to quell a little bit of her hunger.  I had not eaten in a few days and before that it was only enough to keep my body moving.  I was used to going without for a few days from the war but when I did eat, it was highly supplemented with proteins and vitamins to keep me in peak form.  Since our escape, I had only been eating what I could find cheaply or, as of late, what I could steal without having to run away too fast.  

I know I was no longer at my peak.  I was quickly wasting from my lack of nutrition and I believe it was also what was interfering with the wounds on my leg healing.  The girl was not injured but I could tell that she was loosing weight too. That was not good for a seven year old girl. Her spirit was not broken but I could tell that she was not telling me how hungry and scared she was. 

It made me think of during the war when I had been on that mission with Maxwell that we ended up hiding out on the street.  We hid with a gang of children that now I understand, were forced into prostitution just to make enough money to please a pimp who might feed them enough to stay alive.  I hoped that this was going to be the closest we would ever get to being that hungry.  At the time, I did not understand how someone could allow themselves to be used like that just for a little food. But they did it so the younger ones could eat, I can sympathize now. At this point, I would do anything to keep Mariemaia from starving and suffering any more.  

I lightly dozed for a while, never fully letting myself sleep.  I could not let my guard down too much even though I was well aware that normally, they do not search the cargo hold during the flight. I came fully awake however when I felt the shuttle slowing down to dock.  It was time that we prepare for sneaking off the ship.  We would have to be careful not to be seen because it was illegal to stowaway on a flight.

"Wake up," I coaxed the child in my arms. "We're almost ready to jump ship."

"Uh…oh!" She said groggily. "I'm ready"

She jumped up and stretched like she was a kitten waking up in the afternoon sun.  I never realized how resilient children are even considering me.  She still had the optimism of a child even after all that she had been through.  I do not think that I was ever optimistic but I was too stubborn to let what my pessimistic mind told me would happen, happen most of the time.  

When the docking procedures were through, we crept down toward the hatch and waited until the crew had opened it. It was not all that hard to get off the actual ship.  There was so much chaos that goes on when a freighter docks, that two small forms can disappear in the crowd of people.  We were almost away from the area when someone yelled at us.

"Hey, Kids, what the hell do you think you're doing here?!"  

I grasp Mariemaia's hand tighter in mine and picked up our pace some.  We could not run very fast because of my leg being injured and her legs being short. I tried to duck into a corner to get away when I ran smack into another worker.  The child squeaked in fear and tried to hide behind me. 

"Hey, Jones, grab those kids!  I just saw them poking around the shuttle that just came in," the first worker yelled.

Jones looked down at our ragged forms and then back up to his coworker. "They's just street kids, if they got away wit anythin, they could use it. They're just gonna eventually starve ta death anyway."

"Yeah, but what if they got away with something important?"  The first guy asked.

"I doubt it, tha older one can hardly walk and tha lil one's scared ta death," Jones explained. "They're jus war orphans, prolly wandered in ta this area lookin fer food. This colony's full of em. Hell, it's always been full of orphans."

"Fine, fine, whatever," the other man agreed.  "But if they did, it's coming off of your pay!"

Jones waited until the other man walked away and then regarded us again.  He was a hard looking man, big, with broad shoulders.  The kind of man used to hard labor and long hours. 

"I hope you two don't get into any trouble," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "I only got a few creds but if ya take em ya got ta promise ta get food for ya both wit it."

I blinked at him.  

"Doncha try ta be too noble, young man.  I see tha ya haven't been takin' too good care of yerself.  Ya gotta, if ya wanna help the lil one."

I just shrugged. I was actually entranced by how much his booming base of a voice sounded like Maxwell. Well, the other pilot when he was very tired.  I fought the urge to smack him upside the head and telling him to get his tongue straight like I did to my former war-comrade when he would talk like that.

"Here ya go, kiddo's," Jones said handing me a few coins. I took them mutely and backed Mariemaia and myself back out and then onto the street.  We walked quickly until I could find a reference as to what part of the colony we were on.  I followed the street signs and trying to find the right one. I was too leery of the people on the street to actually ask them where it was. Anyone could be a spy or could be bribed by someone else to give out our whereabouts.  

The artificial light of the colony was dimming signifying that it was ending its cycle for the day.  I really did not want to spend another night on the street if I had too. The child could not handle much more without getting sick or becoming even weaker.  I could tell by the feel of her little hand in mine that she was still chilled from being in the cargo hold.  And then I saw it, the right street. All we had to do was find the right building and hope that our information was correct.

After walking briefly down the street one direction, we had to turn around and go the other way.  Finally, I found the building.  I bravely buzzed the apartment number that I had and received no answer.  I buzzed a few more times and gave up. I had failed the girl, no one was there. 

I pulled her around to the alleyway beside the building and tried to find anything I could use as a shelter for the night. I was exhausted but I knew that I could not sleep much and leave her defenseless.  She flopped down on the broken pavement and looked at me. 

"Don't be sad, I'm sure we'll find whoever you're looking for."

"I'm not sad," I explained.  "I'm just frustrated."

I had not explained to her who we were going to meet. I feared that if we failed, we would implicate him and he did not deserve that. I knew that it could not be tortured out of me and I did not want them to even try to get it out of her.  I was about to explain to her that we were going to stay there for the night when I heard something fall to the pavement.

"What are you doing there?"

The voice startled me even more than the bag did. I tried to whirl around to protect the girl but my leg started to give and I felt myself falling fast.  I never reached the pavement because a pair of arms had caught me mid-fall.  I blinked dazedly up at the person who caught me and was rendered speechless.

"Wufei?"  He asked sounding incredulous. "Oh my god…Shit man…I gotta get ya upstairs."  
  


I gaped at my former compatriot.  "Maxwell?" was all I could say before my body decided that I had tortured it too much and everything went black. We were safe for now and that was all I needed to know.

Owari.


End file.
